The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

by Daniel Defoe

there was anybody in the house, I was sure they were not in my room;and as for the rest of the house, I had nothing to say to that, I didnot understand what they looked for.

  Everything looked so innocent and so honest about me, that they treatedme civiller than I expected, but it was not till they had searched theroom to a nicety, even under the bed, in the bed, and everywhere elsewhere it was possible anything could be hid. When they had done this,and could find nothing, they asked my pardon for troubling me, and wentdown.

  When they had thus searched the house from bottom to top, and then topto bottom, and could find nothing, they appeased the mob pretty well;but they carried my governess before the justice. Two men swore thatthey saw the man whom they pursued go into her house. My governessrattled and made a great noise that her house should be insulted, andthat she should be used thus for nothing; that if a man did come in, hemight go out again presently for aught she knew, for she was ready tomake oath that no man had been within her doors all that day as sheknew of (and that was very true indeed); that it might be indeed thatas she was abovestairs, any fellow in a fright might find the door openand run in for shelter when he was pursued, but that she knew nothingof it; and if it had been so, he certainly went out again, perhaps atthe other door, for she had another door into an alley, and so had madehis escape and cheated them all.

  This was indeed probable enough, and the justice satisfied himself withgiving her an oath that she had not received or admitted any man intoher house to conceal him, or protect or hide him from justice. Thisoath she might justly take, and did so, and so she was dismissed.

  It is easy to judge what a fright I was in upon this occasion, and itwas impossible for my governess ever to bring me to dress in thatdisguise again; for, as I told her, I should certainly betray myself.

  My poor partner in this mischief was now in a bad case, for he wascarried away before my Lord Mayor, and by his worship committed toNewgate, and the people that took him were so willing, as well as able,to prosecute him, that they offered themselves to enter intorecognisances to appear at the sessions and pursue the charge againsthim.

  However, he got his indictment deferred, upon promise to discover hisaccomplices, and particularly the man that was concerned with him inhis robbery; and he failed not to do his endeavour, for he gave in myname, whom he called Gabriel Spencer, which was the name I went by tohim; and here appeared the wisdom of my concealing my name and sex fromhim, which, if he had ever known I had been undone.

  He did all he could to discover this Gabriel Spencer; he described me,he discovered the place where he said I lodged, and, in a word, all theparticulars that he could of my dwelling; but having concealed the maincircumstances of my sex from him, I had a vast advantage, and he nevercould hear of me. He brought two or three families into trouble by hisendeavouring to find me out, but they knew nothing of me, any more thanthat I had a fellow with me that they had seen, but knew nothing of.And as for my governess, though she was the means of his coming to me,yet it was done at second-hand, and he knew nothing of her.

  This turned to his disadvantage; for having promised discoveries, butnot being able to make it good, it was looked upon as trifling with thejustice of the city, and he was the more fiercely pursued by theshopkeepers who took him.

  I was, however, terribly uneasy all this while, and that I might bequite out of the way, I went away from my governess's for a while; butnot knowing wither to wander, I took a maid-servant with me, and tookthe stage-coach to Dunstable, to my old landlord and landlady, where Ihad lived so handsomely with my Lancashire husband. Here I told her aformal story, that I expected my husband every day from Ireland, andthat I had sent a letter to him that I would meet him at Dunstable ather house, and that he would certainly land, if the wind was fair, in afew days, so that I was come to spend a few days with them till heshould come, for he was either come post, or in the West Chester coach,I knew not which; but whichsoever it was, he would be sure to come tothat house to meet me.

  My landlady was mighty glad to see me, and my landlord made such a stirwith me, that if I had been a princess I could not have been betterused, and here I might have been welcome a month or two if I hadthought fit.

  But my business was of another nature. I was very uneasy (though sowell disguised that it was scarce possible to detect me) lest thisfellow should somehow or other find me out; and though he could notcharge me with this robbery, having persuaded him not to venture, andhaving also done nothing in it myself but run away, yet he might havecharged me with other things, and have bought his own life at theexpense of mine.

  This filled me with horrible apprehensions. I had no recourse, nofriend, no confidante but my old governess, and I knew no remedy but toput my life in her hands, and so I did, for I let her know where tosend to me, and had several letters from her while I stayed here. Someof them almost scared me out my wits but at last she sent me the joyfulnews that he was hanged, which was the best news to me that I had hearda great while.

  I had stayed here five weeks, and lived very comfortably indeed (thesecret anxiety of my mind excepted); but when I received this letter Ilooked pleasantly again, and told my landlady that I had received aletter from my spouse in Ireland, that I had the good news of his beingvery well, but had the bad news that his business would not permit himto come away so soon as he expected, and so I was like to go back againwithout him.

  My landlady complimented me upon the good news however, that I hadheard he was well. 'For I have observed, madam,' says she, 'you hadn'tbeen so pleasant as you used to be; you have been over head and ears incare for him, I dare say,' says the good woman; ''tis easy to be seenthere's an alteration in you for the better,' says she. 'Well, I amsorry the esquire can't come yet,' says my landlord; 'I should havebeen heartily glad to have seen him. But I hope, when you have certainnews of his coming, you'll take a step hither again, madam,' says he;'you shall be very welcome whenever you please to come.'

  With all these fine compliments we parted, and I came merry enough toLondon, and found my governess as well pleased as I was. And now shetold me she would never recommend any partner to me again, for shealways found, she said, that I had the best luck when I ventured bymyself. And so indeed I had, for I was seldom in any danger when I wasby myself, or if I was, I got out of it with more dexterity than when Iwas entangled with the dull measures of other people, who had perhapsless forecast, and were more rash and impatient than I; for though Ihad as much courage to venture as any of them, yet I used more cautionbefore I undertook a thing, and had more presence of mind when I was tobring myself off.

  I have often wondered even at my own hardiness another way, that whenall my companions were surprised and fell so suddenly into the hand ofjustice, and that I so narrowly escaped, yet I could not all this whileenter into one serious resolution to leave off this trade, andespecially considering that I was now very far from being poor; thatthe temptation of necessity, which is generally the introduction of allsuch wickedness, was now removed; for I had near #500 by me in readymoney, on which I might have lived very well, if I had thought fit tohave retired; but I say, I had not so much as the least inclination toleave off; no, not so much as I had before when I had but #200beforehand, and when I had no such frightful examples before my eyes asthese were. From hence 'tis evident to me, that when once we arehardened in crime, no fear can affect us, no example give us anywarning.

  I had indeed one comrade whose fate went very near me for a good while,though I wore it off too in time. That case was indeed very unhappy.I had made a prize of a piece of very good damask in a mercer's shop,and went clear off myself, but had conveyed the piece to this companionof mine when we went out of the shop, and she went one way and I wentanother. We had not been long out of the shop but the mercer missedhis piece of stuff, and sent his messengers, one one way and oneanother, and they presently seized her that had the piece, with thedamask upon her. As for me, I had very luckily stepped into a housewhere there was a lace chamber, up one pair
of stairs, and had thesatisfaction, or the terror indeed, of looking out of the window uponthe noise they made, and seeing the poor creature dragged away intriumph to the justice, who immediately committed her to Newgate.

  I was careful to attempt nothing in the lace chamber, but tumbled theirgoods pretty much to spend time; then bought a few yards of edging andpaid for it, and came away very sad-hearted indeed for the poor woman,who was in tribulation for what I only had stolen.

  Here again my old caution stood me in good stead; namely, that though Ioften robbed with these people, yet I never let them know who I was, orwhere I lodged, nor could they ever find out my lodging, though theyoften endeavoured to watch me to it. They all knew me by the name ofMoll Flanders, though even some of them rather believed I was she thanknew me to be so. My name was public among them indeed, but how tofind me out they knew not, nor so much as how to guess at my